So A rush trip just got planned and I have to drive my girlfriend from Durango to Denver, leaving in 3 hours. Dropping her off at the airport and then I will have some time to kill, tomorrow. Looked at trip reports and conditions and found nothing on evans, torreys and grays, etc.. Looking for a quick, fun up and down and I'll be in a ford focus and I won't have my alpine/snow gear with me. Any suggestions before I head back south. Thx.

We were just on Kelso yesterday.We hiked in from I-70.Unlikely your ford focus will make it to the summer trailhead of G&T.I'd recommend Sniktau and Grizzley from Loveland Pass.It's always windy up there, so a decent shell(s) would be a good idea.

lurker wrote:We were just on Kelso yesterday.We hiked in from I-70.Unlikely your ford focus will make it to the summer trailhead of G&T.I'd recommend Sniktau and Grizzley from Loveland Pass.It's always windy up there, so a decent shell(s) would be a good idea.

Funny we just went up Kelso today. It was really slick even with 4 wheel drive going up the road but we made it to the summer trailhead. I wouldn't recommend a two wheel drive car heading up that road unless you have tire cables or chains. The snow on the road is not deep at all but it is really icy. Standard route has some snow on it almost the entire way up. I would recommend microspikes and/or trekking poles at a minimum. It was cold as hell up there today though.

You should be stoked though. Any chance to get out in the hills is always awesome. You could do Yale East Ridge or Quandary standard those trailheads are both close to the paved roads but I would still recommend Microspikes and Trekking Poles.

" The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why." - Mark Twain"Danger in Alpinism is just part of the game. As soon as you eliminate the danger you have just every other sport." Febrizio Zangrilli“The best climber in the world is the one who is having all the fun.” – Alex Lowe"To travel, to experience and learn, that is to live" - Sherpa Tensing Norgay (first person to Summit Mt. Everest)"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit" - Edward Abbey" Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone. Some of your best life experiences and opportunities will transpire only after you dare to loose."

Thanks for the responses. So I decided to give Bierstadt a shot via Guanella Pass even though I didn't think the 2wd focus would make it (2nd ed. Roach book says the road is mostly dirt). Ha, it was the most maintained road I have been on in a while. Few icy patches but pretty simple drive. Slept in car at TH, started at 5am and topped out sometime after 7. Awesome sunrise, and it was exactly the quick, fun up and down that I was looking for. Cheers y'all.